Gestational diabetes has been climbing steadily in the US for nearly a decade, per a new analysis. In Northwestern Medicine's review of more than 12 million first-time single births from 2016 through 2024, researchers found the pregnancy-related condition increased every year, jumping 36% overall—from 58 to 79 cases per 1,000 births, per US News & World Report. "Gestational diabetes has been persistently increasing ... which means whatever we have been trying to do to address diabetes in pregnancy has not been working," says study co-author Nilay Shah of Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. The condition raises the risk of complications for both mother and baby, including a higher likelihood of future diabetes and heart disease.
Published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, the study is described as the most up-to-date national look at gestational diabetes trends. Rates rose in every racial and ethnic group, but some groups were hit much harder. In 2024, the number of women with gestational diabetes per 1,000 births was 137 among American Indian/Alaska Native women, 131 among Asian women, 126 among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women, 85 among Hispanic women, 71 among white women, and 67 among Black women. Shah noted that the most affected groups are among those least represented in health research, with reasons for the disparities remaining unclear.
Researchers also found wide differences within Asian and Hispanic subgroups, which study co-author Emily Lam says often get lumped together in studies. Shah pointed to broader trends—including less nutritious diets, lower physical activity, higher obesity rates among young adults—as likely contributors to the overall rise. The findings, he added, suggest the US is "not doing enough to support the health of the US population, especially young women before and during pregnancy," and underscore the need for public health and policy efforts that improve access to quality care and make healthy habits easier to maintain.
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